Nittany Lion Lotto

Following are one journalist’s personal observations of the 2005 Penn State football season.

By now every sports fan knows that Joe Paterno led the 2005 Penn State Nittany Lion football team to its first Bowl Championship Series game by means of a 10-1 record and a Big Ten Championship. State College, Pa, once again became a place where locals, students and alumni could cheer for a winning team.

And so the bandwagon again began to overflow.

Not until the home match-up against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 8 did Penn State truly face a difficult challenge. And the fans knew it. By game time, over 40 tents had been set up at the student gate of Beaver Stadium. Truly loyal.

Weeks later, for the Wisconsin game, Paternoville was again founded by students intent on getting front row seats. Except this time, some were also intent on getting attention from the media. The novelty of a tent town superseded that importance of getting good seats.

The Daily Collegian was one media outlet that facilitated the outcry for attention by the students:

“ ‘The number of tents are expected to triple by the end of the night, and we should have the Paternoville sign by the end of the night too,’ said Tom Frame (freshman-information sciences and technology), one of the first Paternoville settlers this week.”

So while thousands of students continue to attend classes and go to their jobs, a spoiled portion of the student body skipped a week of life to camp in the tents their parents bought them and pose for any and every camera that ventured close to the ‘Ville.

Orange Bowl Tickets: admission to the game or college status symbol?

On December 7, over 4000 Penn State students flocked to the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office to try to get tickets to the Orange Bowl. Many students went as early as 8 a.m. On that day, each student who wanted a ticket received a wristband with a six-digit number printed on it.

The following day, those 4000 students went back to BJC at 8 a.m. to see if the numbers on their wristbands were going to be selected in a lottery to decide who got the limited number of tickets.

Upon arrival, students were told that only 2,070 tickets were available to Penn State students. Not surprisingly, over 2000 disappointed people did not receive the $85 tickets. For many students on a budget, the discounted tickets were the only affordable option.

Just like the second coming of Paternoville, going to the Orange Bowl became the popular thing to do.

While there is nothing illegal, immoral or rude about jumping on every bandwagon that comes your way, one reporter asks you to remember your football fanaticism the next time there is a lull in Penn State’s talent pool. Joe Paterno is the perfect role model for disloyal bandwagoners. JoePa could have joined the NFL bandwagon years ago when the New England Patriots offered him the position of head coach. He decided to stay in Happy Valley.

Having gone on long enough, I say this: when you have a decision to make, no matter how large or small in consequence, ask yourself a question.

WWJPD?

What would Joe Pa do?

Good Night, and Good Luck

If you ever trusted in the media to act in the interest of the greater good, then you may be disappointed by the sensationalism that has run rampant through the industry. But there are still beacons of hope in young journalists entering the work force.
As a young journalist myself, I see goodness in many of my peers and that makes me optimistic. To me and others my age, journalism is less about the byline and more about enriching the mind of readers.
I’ve questioned the validity of blogs as a form of high-quality media, but I’ve realized that this new media will bring innovation to journalism. The movie Good Night, and Good Luck tells the story of Edward R. Murrow and his fearless reporting of the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s. Murrow and his colleagues are prime examples of pure journalism.
As I left the theater, I felt invigorated. Although it is discouraging to see many major newspaper companies losing readership and enforcing hiring freezes, the story of Murrow showed me that there will always be a need for quality, ethical journalism.
After seeing Murrow innovate journalism in the early 20th century, I am confident that there will be similar innovations in this century. If you too feel the need for a picture of great journalism, go see Good Night, and Good Luck.